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Ducks Acquire Lombardi from Phoenix for McMillan

Wednesday, 04.03.2013 / 5:10 PM

The Ducks have acquired center Matthew Lombardi from the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for left wing Brandon McMillan.

Lombardi, 31 (2/18/82), has collected 101-161=262 points with 289 penalty minutes (PIM) and a +8 rating in 529 career contests with Calgary, Phoenix, Nashville and Toronto. He appeared in 21 games for the Coyotes this season, scoring 4-4=8 points with four PIM. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Lombardi scored his 100th career goal on Mar. 28 at Nashville. He was re-acquired by Phoenix from Toronto (in exchange for a 2014 fourth-round draft pick) on Jan. 16. The 5-11, 195-pound centerman had a career year with the Coyotes in 2009-10, notching 19-34=53 points with 36 PIM and a +8 rating. Lombardi scored a single-game career-best 2-3=5 points on Feb. 8, 2010 in a 6-1 victory over Edmonton.

Selected by Calgary in the third round (90th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Lombardi made his NHL debut with the Flames on Oct. 9, 2003 vs. Vancouver (4-1 loss). He has advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs on five occasions, most recently with the Coyotes in the club’s Western Conference Quarterfinal series vs. Detroit in 2010. His 1-5=6 points in the seven-game series led the club. In addition, Lombardi advanced to the Stanley Cup Final with the Calgary Flames in 2004, earning 1-5=6 points in 13 postseason contests.

McMillan, 23 (3/22/90), appeared in six games with Anaheim this season, collecting one assist (0-1=1) with two PIM. The 5-11, 190-pound winger made his NHL season debut on Mar. 4 at Phoenix and picked up his first point of the season in a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Mar. 13 at Xcel Energy Center. McMillan began the season with Norfolk of the American Hockey League (AHL), earning 8-5=13 points with 42 PIM in 41 contests.

Selected by Anaheim in the third round (85th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, McMillan has collected 11-15=26 points with 40 PIM in 91 career NHL contests. He made his NHL debut on Nov. 21, 2010 vs. Edmonton and scored his first career goal in his third NHL game on Nov. 27, 2010, a 6-4 Anaheim win at Phoenix.
Matthew Lombardi spoke with us this afternoon upon learning of his trade to Anaheim.

On how he was informed of the trade: "It was just after 12 Pacific Time. I was actually on my way to pick up one of my daughters up at school and I got a call from our assistant GM in Phoenix. I saw the number so I kind of figured something must’ve been going on. He just let me know I got traded to Anaheim. That’s pretty much it. It was a short conversation. The phone started blowing up after that."

On if he thought he’d be traded at the deadline: "The last few weeks here haven’t been great for the team. It was definitely something that I knew was a possibility, not having a contract for next year. Our team not having the success they had hoped for here. I’ve been through it before, in terms of being traded. You know anything can happen. I was a bit shocked at first, but it’s great. I’m excited. It’s a great opportunity. I’m looking forward to getting to Anaheim."

On joining the Ducks: "First and foremost, I’m going to a great team and Stanley Cup contender. That’s super exciting. It’s a great team. To be able to be a part of that is pretty cool. I’m looking forward to it. That’s all you can ask for, to be honest with you. To play and go for a Stanley Cup."

On his conversations with Bob Murray: "Bob called and we had a short conversation. He knew a lot of things were going on for me. It was just a matter of figuring out when I would get there. I’ll be coming in tomorrow morning. I’ll sit down with them at that point, and the coaches, and we’ll take it from there. On the phone, it’s not much more to be said and more about seeing you in person and we’ll take care of the rest of the stuff."

On if he could’ve played tonight: "Timing wise, by the time I heard about the trade and things got finalized, I ended up talking to Bob a few hours later. With them playing tonight, I don’t think that could’ve happened anyway. They’re great and very understanding in terms of me having to pick up and leave so quickly. They’re going to give me the rest of the day to get things organized and I’ll jump on a plane tomorrow morning. I’ll be there for practice."

On what he knows about the Ducks: "Can’t say enough about the quality of players they have. Getzlaf, Perry, and you go down the line and look at the lineup with all the depth, Teemu, I can go through the whole lineup. We played them a month ago or three weeks ago, three in a row, so you kind of understand the reason why they’re having success and the quality of team they are. The depth they have and the goaltending, it’s pretty impressive."

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